Renewing the spouse visa

From from 3 months before expiry. There is no benefit to leaving it late and real risk in doing so, so most people file as soon as the window opens. Bring it forward if you have travel planned or the bureau is busy — the application has to be made while your current period of stay is still valid.

You are covered, as long as you filed before it expired. if the application is filed before the current period of stay expires, you may legally remain under the old status until the decision or 2 months past expiry, whichever comes first — except holders of periods of stay of 30 days or less. So a card that lapses mid-review does not make you an overstayer — your lawful stay continues under this special period until the decision comes (or the two months run out). What you must not do is miss the expiry date without having filed: that is an overstay, with serious consequences.

No, it is noticeably lighter. Because the marriage is already established and on the koseki, a renewal does not ask for the questionnaire (質問書), the relationship photos, or the foreign marriage certificate that the first application did. The core set is the extension form, a photo, your spouse’s koseki, a household residence certificate proving you still live together, the supporter’s tax certificates, and a letter of guarantee. The check is "is this still a real, stable marriage?", not a fresh investigation.

Around six weeks: about 6 weeks (the ISA monthly average has held around 40–47 days through 2025–26). That is far quicker than the Certificate of Eligibility, because the relationship and finances are already on file and the bureau is confirming continuity rather than examining from scratch. As with every ISA figure, the average includes time spent waiting on any additional documents they request.

A first renewal often comes back as another one-year period; the three- and five-year periods tend to follow once the marriage has a longer track record in Japan and the finances and tax record are clean. The period is the immigration bureau’s decision, not something you choose. It matters beyond convenience: you generally need to hold a longer (3-year, and after April 2027 a 5-year) card before permanent residence is within reach.

The renewal fee is ¥6,000 at the counter / ¥5,500 online, and it is only paid when the application is approved — you buy a revenue stamp (収入印紙) for the amount and affix it to the form you are given on approval. Nothing is paid at the time you submit. (A 2026 law raised the statutory ceiling on these fees, but the actual amounts have not changed yet — see the fee note on our other pages.)

You, the applicant, sign the extension application form itself. Your Japanese spouse signs the letter of guarantee (身元保証書) as the guarantor, just as at the COE stage, and their tax certificates evidence the household finances. So both of you contribute documents, but the application is yours.

Continuity of the genuine marriage and the stability of the household. The household residence certificate shows you are still living together; the spouse’s tax certificates show the finances; and — increasingly emphasised since 2026 — whether taxes, pension, and health-insurance contributions are being paid. A renewal of a settled, cohabiting, tax-paying marriage is routine. The things that draw scrutiny are living apart, a separation in progress, reliance on public assistance, or unpaid public obligations.

Generally no. Unlike a work visa, the spouse status is based on your marriage, not your employment, so changing jobs (or your spouse changing jobs) does not threaten it the way it would a work-based status. What matters is that the household remains supported. Just make sure the income documents you submit match your current reality and that any tax owed is paid.

This is the situation where renewal genuinely becomes difficult, because the status depends on a functioning marriage. If you are living apart or the marriage is ending, a straight renewal of the spouse status may not be granted, and there is a duty to report the change to immigration within 14 days of a divorce or bereavement. Depending on your circumstances — children, length of residence, the reason for the breakdown — a change to "Long-Term Resident" (定住者) may be the right route instead. This is a point to get advice rather than simply refile.

Act immediately and treat it as serious: once your period of stay has lapsed without an application on file, you are overstaying, which carries real consequences for your status and future applications. There is no online fix — go to the immigration bureau in person without delay, and for anything beyond a day or two, or if you have already left Japan, get a licensed specialist involved. An overstay handled badly is far harder to recover from than one addressed honestly and fast.

No. An extension of period of stay is applied for from within Japan, while your status is still valid — there is no overseas renewal. If you are abroad when your status lapses, it ends, and returning as a spouse means starting over with a fresh Certificate of Eligibility, not a renewal. If you need to travel near your expiry date, file the renewal first and arrange re-entry properly before you go.